When designing a cable assembly, engineers need to consider a connector back shell for protecting the connector, so it can safeguard the reliability of the cable and ultimately the entire system. The purpose of a back shell is to prevent separation of cable wires from connector assemblies caused by cable tension or bending. The weakest point in a multi-wire electrical cable is where the wires are connected to a terminal. Any tension in the wire may cause uncoupling of wire from the connector, and a corresponding loss of data or power transfer. Likewise, bending of a cable near one of its attached connectors causes tension in the outer wires of the cable resulting in possible wire separation from the connector and loss of electrical contact. Back shells were devised to allow stress due to tension or bending to be transmitted away from the joint between the cable and connector by the connector and back shell instead of by the wires.
A back shell cover is an individual part from the connector placed and plugged around of it, used to attach, secure and give direction to the cable, thereby providing strain relief to the solder joints or crimped connections by preventing mechanical loading from the attached wire of the cable. Depending on the design of the back shell, it can also prevent the ingress of dirt, moisture or liquids into the connector. The back shell ensures that the cables are never bent to an excessive angle, typically not more than 13 degrees away from the connector longitudinal axis of the connector.
The use of a back shell with a connector typically requires a connector body having dedicated attachment features to secure the back shell to the connector body. This may limit the connector types available for the cable designer and increase production cost by requiring dedicated connector body designs for use with a back shell. Therefore a connector assembly including a back shell that can be used with connector bodies without dedicated back shell attachment features remain desired.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.